A Comparison of Two Canadian Authors Whose Works have Inspired Me

Farley Mowat and Lucy Maud Montgomery

 (This was originally written for an English Composition class I had this past winter)

What Canadian child has not grown up either laughing over the antics of Mutt, the dog that wouldn’t be, or at all the trouble Anne (with an E) Shirley got into, growing up at Green Gables? Farley Mowat and Lucy Maud Montgomery are two internationally renowned Canadian authors. However, they grew up in very different circumstances, in different places and at different times; this influenced their writing as we shall see. Both authors wrote endearing, sometimes funny, sometimes downright hilarious stories that have warmed the hearts of Canadians, as well as people around the globe, and are well worth the read, especially if you want a glimpse of what it is to be Canadian. Here, we will take a short look at their personal lives, the kinds of books they wrote, and their writing style.

Lucy Maud Montgomery was born in 1874 and grew up on Prince Edward Island, with her grandparents. Her mother died of tuberculosis when Lucy was very young, and her father left her with her maternal grandparents to raise her. Lucy missed out on the affection of her parents; her grandparents did not particularly provide the affection she needed. As a young woman, she became a schoolteacher in Cavendish, but at the death of her grandfather returned home to care for her grandmother for the next 13 years. It was during those years that Anne of Green Gables was written and finally published. After the death of her grandmother, she married the Reverend Ewan Macdonald, a Presbyterian minister and moved to Leaksdale, Ontario, where she continued to write short stories, poems, articles and novels. Lucy died in 1942 in Toronto, Ontario and was buried in Cavendish, P.E.I. close to her childhood home.

Lucy Maud Montgomery

Many of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s well-known books are about orphans such as herself. Anne of Green Gables is the most famous one, but also well known is Emily of New Moon. Her main characters are mostly girls, most of whom do not quite fit into the society of the time. She wrote of imaginative dreamers, social outcasts and independent spinsters who overcame their differences and made a place for themselves in the world.

Lucy Maud Montgomery’s writing style is introspective, or introverted. She focuses on the personality of people, their dreams, their inner thoughts and the development of their character. Her writing is also somewhat of a critique of society; women are more than just homemakers, practical and sensible. Women can have dreams, intelligence and imagination. They can be people of influence. 

Farley Mowat, on the other hand, was born in Belleville, Ontario in 1921. When he was still a young boy, he lived for several years in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with both of his parents. His father was an avid hunter, and Farley himself spent long hours on the banks of the Saskatoon River near his home, as well as out on the prairies. As a boy, he spent a lot of time observing animals, and as an adult he travelled all over Canada, especially to remote areas, to study animals in the wild. It was when he came back from a two year trip to the Arctic that he began his career as a writer. Farley Mowat died in 2014 in Cobourg, Ontario.

Farley Mowatt

Many of Farley Mowat’s books are based on his own experiences as a child or an adult: The Dog who Wouldn’t Be, Owls in the Family, The Barrens, Never Cry Wolf, The Boat that Wouldn’t Float, to name a few. The main character of his books is often himself, or some other boy and the theme is almost always nature, animals, remote peoples and the wild.

Farley Mowat’s writing style is much more descriptive of the outside world, unlike Lucy Maud Montgomery, he may not be focused on the interior life, however, his observations of animals and animal behaviour are very perceptive and at times, downright hilarious. His style is very lighthearted, humorous and easy to read.

These two authors, as different as they may be, represent the differing landscapes and personalities of Canada. They are a definite must-read.

Bibliography

“About Farley Mowat | Farley Mowat First Editions.” n.d. Accessed March 15, 2020. https://farleymowat.ca/about-farley-mowat/.

“About L. M. Montgomery | L. M. Montgomery Institute.” n.d. Accessed March 15, 2020. https://www.lmmontgomery.ca/about/lmm/her-life.